NovelEnglish
Chapter 357
Daniel paused before continuing, "There must be a misunderstanding, Miss McKinney. While I
sincerely wish to apologize to Zoe, I did not come here for her."
Leanna tilted her head in confusion.
Nevertheless, it was clear he did not plan on coming clean to her. "I am your ally and your friend, Miss
McKinney. That is all you need to remember."
Hearing that, she chuckled. "I think friends are friends because they are honest with each other and
foster trust between them. What do you think?"
He cleared his throat as his mind raced to find a response.
"I know you are cautious of me," said Leanna. "There are a lot of things you do not want to tell me.
Elijah is the same. While I do not know your true motives or what kind of person you are, I can ignore
all that. However, I hope that we both know our limits and do not cross them."
"Miss McKinney, I…"
"I have actually wondered before. Why did you move all the way here? If not for Zoe, then it is for me,
right?" she interrupted. "I do not care what your goal is, or if you are cozying up to me to get to the
Crossleys as well. Either way, in my mind, you might not be my enemy, but you are definitely not a
trustworthy friend."
She spoke so decidedly and swiftly that Daniel burst out chuckling. "That really is not the case."
Still, he could not come clean to her. After all, he was here to protect her.
If he told her, it would have the opposite reaction he wanted. In fact, it might even make a mess of
things.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtHe softly sighed. "I know you will not let down your guard no matter what I say. I can only swear that I
have no intention of harming you."
"I know you will not hurt me. Still," said Leanna. "I will say this; if you do not like Zoe, please avoid
seeing her in the future."
"I will remember your words."
She nodded and thanked him before leaving the studio.
He leaned against the railing and tapped it with his long slender fingers. If things continued on like this,
she would whole-heartedly suspect he had ulterior motives.
Elijah had enough reasons to properly stay by her side. Now, it was Daniel who had to scrounge up
dozens of plans to make up an excuse.
Not only that, he also had to be known as a playboy and a scumbag.
He was sacrificing way too much.
…
Just as Leanna sat down in her chair in the studio, Zoe came running to her. "How did it go today? Are
you confident in what you will do for this round?"
"I drew Queenie's lot," Leanna replied.
Zoe stared at her, speechless.
"What cursed luck," she exclaimed with a scoff.
Exhausted by her trip today, Leanna leaned back and stretched before slowly saying, "Currently, I do
not even have a clue on how to start. Thankfully, I have ten days this time."
Zoe frowned. "What about Queenie? Who did she get?"
"I think she got Elliot Watts," Leanna answered after a pause.
Zoe did not know the industry as well as Leanna, so she did not recognize any designer other than the
particularly famous names. "Who is Elliot Watts?" she asked.
"He is quite a great designer. He has won many international awards," replied Leanna.
"Anyway, I just don't get this rule. My head is spinning just thinking about it." Zoe patted her on the
shoulder. "Good luck, Enchantress! Take them down!"
Leanna could not help but laugh. "Is that not your handle? Why call me that?"
Zoe's WhatsApp handle had always been Enchantress. After committing social suicide, she hurriedly
changed it. "That is not important. I am now passing the title on to you. Work hard. You will be the
victor!"
When Leanna heard that, she suddenly asked, "Are you still in contact with that kid?"
Zoe chuckled. "No. He blocked me. His mother likely thought I am too unreliable as a friend. I only just
realized that the brat was doing that just to mooch a meal off of me."
If others found out about it, her reputation would be ruined!
Leanna pursed her lips. "Perhaps Aidan was so fierce when he escorted the kid home that his parents
thought we were bad guys."
"I really like your explanation," Zoe solemnly said. "That is it. He is the problem, not us."
Leanna was rendered speechless by that.
Zoe was about to leave when she was struck by a thought. "Is the fight that serious this time?" she
asked, turning around.
Leanna blinked at her a few times. "Huh?"
"He has not called you for a few days, nor has he sent you any flowers. It feels like a serious fight."
She felt her strength sap out of her body when she was reminded of that. "We did not fight. I just do not
want to see him."
Just looking at him irritated her.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmZoe found her logic quite relatable. "True. While the devil is away, we can let our hair down for a few
days. My friend is hosting a gathering. Apparently, there will be hot guys there. I'm gonna join in the
fun, wanna come?"
Leanna shook her head and tiredly looked at her computer. "No, I still have to draw up some drafts."
"You said you have ten days, right? Anyway, you have no inspiration right now. If you go out and have
fun, maybe you'll find some inspiration. Come on!"
Zoe insistently dragged her out of the office. "Let's get drunk tonight!"
…
When the clock struck eight that evening, not a single ray of sunshine could be seen.
Zoe stopped the car by the road and looked at the crowded building. "As I thought, this is where young
people are nowadays. If I want a boyfriend, I have to come to a place like this," she commented with a
huff.
"Forget about it," said Leanna. "Do not fall for some playboy's trap again."
"Hot guys are all playboys—well, not really. Their hearts have just been shattered into a million pieces
with each piece in love with different people."
Leanna was rendered speechless by that.
She had to concede when faced with Zoe's nonsensical logic.
Zoe led Leanna out of the car, making their way through the crowd before finally stopping at a table.
One of the women seated there waved to them. "Why are you so late, Zoe? We have all started." She
then turned to Leanna. "You must be Leanna. Hello, I am Jamie Collin."
"Hi," Leanna greeted with a slight smile.
Jamie proceeded to introduce the other people seated at the table.
Zoe looked around. "Where's the hot guy you mentioned?"
"What's the hurry?" Jamie whispered back. "The hottie is always the last to arrive. Don't rush it. Wait."
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